Boy · Greek · New Testament

Linus

LY-nus · means “Traditionally understood as "flaxen haired" or related to flax and linen”

Linus is a Greek name traditionally understood as "flaxen haired." He was a Christian in Rome mentioned by Paul in his final letter to Timothy, sending greetings alongside other believers who stood by Paul near the end of his life, and early church tradition remembers him as an important early leader in Rome.

“Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus greets you, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers and sisters.”

The story behind the name

Linus appears in just one verse, tucked into the closing greetings of 2 Timothy, Paul's last letter written from a Roman prison as he awaited execution. Paul names Linus among the small circle of believers still gathered around him in that difficult season (2 Timothy 4:21).

Church tradition outside Scripture, recorded by early writers like Irenaeus, remembers a Linus as one of the earliest leaders of the church in Rome after the apostles, though the New Testament itself simply presents him as a faithful friend sending greetings to Timothy.

Linus's story is small in verses but meaningful in what it shows: faithful people surrounding Paul with friendship even as everything else grew uncertain. A boy named Linus carries a name for quiet loyalty, the kind that stays present in someone's hardest season.

Middle names that sing with Linus

Chosen for rhythm and meanings that speak to each other.

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